7 C’s to Build A Winning Team

Before we jump into the 7 C’s, here’s a quick story on the importance of building a team with the right people.

Meet Jay (front and center of the photo above). He’s a member of the greater operations team in my organization, and the market leader for our Phoenix, Arizona, office.

I’ve been working with Jay more intimately for the last 5-6 months, as we’re partnering on growing that market with new revenue. It’s a smaller operation at present, but one in that we see tremendous growth opportunities!

I’ve thrown a lot at Jay. Others have done the same. Yet for someone that has a shorter runway of experience on being a company face to customers, AND being tasked with helping grow the visibility and brand recognition of our organization, he’s doing a bang-up job!

The photo above is from a recent golf tournament where we were a hole sponsor for a large industry association event. Jay has stepped up to volunteer within the association and lead our organization’s efforts for putting on a good showing in front of the industry participants. We’re starting to achieve something that our organization has never been able to do in that marketplace … become a known entity!

And it’s all because of Jay. He continually demonstrates a commitment to improvement. He’s coachable. He has a good character and is likable. And he cares!

I feel lucky to be able to work and partner with him.

_{Do you follow Twitter? If not, I’ll post my “Sales Tweets of The Week” below, for more thought-provoking ideas, trends, or stories. Check them out below!}

Be the (C)hange needed to succeed!

Whether you saw my above tweet from last week or not, it is important to understand that growth and scale come from the backs of those that your organization hires.

Making the right choices, while being able to say no to the options that aren’t the right fit, is the difference between growing, shrinking, and potentially going out of business.

Here are the 7 C’s for building a winning team.

Contagious Energy.

en.er.gy

1. the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.

   "changes in the levels of vitamins can affect energy and well-being"

The right managers are able to find the right-balanced team members who can display and understand when/how to “turn on the energy.” After all, who wants to work in an environment where energy lacks?!

In SALES, displaying appropriate energy is one of the secrets to a high closure rate. No one ever bought a product or service that wasn’t minimally inspired by the passion (aka. energy) of the SALES rep.

Communications.

Communication is my super flex.

When I was graduating high school and enrolling at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Go Gophers!) back in 1998, I ‘thought’ I needed to gain admittance into the prestigious “Carlson School of Management” business school, in order to succeed in business later in my adult life.

Was I wrong!

When my above-average grades didn’t accommodate acceptance, I stumbled upon an Organizational Communications class that changed my entire perspective.

The class was a semester-long project in which the entire class was divided into functions of an organization (example: Marketing, Finance, Operations, etc). There was a “client” that came in and presented us with a problem to solve … and on we went!

I distinctly remember thinking, “see, there are other paths.”

I later would take classes like Speech, Interpersonal, and Small Group Communications (and others) after declaring a Communications Studies major.

The fancy-pants business school students might have graduated understanding micro or macroeconomics better than I did, but I had developed an invaluable asset that would aid me in both the short and long term: Understanding, Relatability, and Communication principles.

Commitment.

Showing commitment can take many forms.

When I was at the beginning of my college journey and was lost with not gaining acceptance into the fancy business school, my Dad (who for the majority of his career worked in the insurance industry) would tell me, “when I look to hire a new agent, I don’t first look at the degree path that they chose. I’m more interested that they graduated with any degree; it shows a long-term commitment, which employers seek.”

Ah-ha moment!

For younger professionals, find ways to display a commitment level that you’ve achieved. For mid-level and senior professionals, commitment most times is shown by staying in previous roles for at least 3-5 years (and being able to display your successes when summarizing your positions).

Consistency. 

In SALES, for most reps, consistency is our kryptonite.

It can sometimes be the elusive denominator for what, or how, success is measured. And yes, fairly, and unfairly.

Anyone can find a hot streak and close a couple of deals in a row. Anyone can have a couple of good weeks or even a few good months of success. But can you consistently sell, close, and build revenue over multiple months, or years?

We’ve talked a lot about basic selling fundamentals in the Sales Homie newsletter.

Coachable.

Here’s the sneaky hack to being coachable.

Work with a mentor.

Mentors push us to see the landscape from a macro level. The best mentors force us out of our comfort zones and encourage us to look at challenges, problems, or solutions through a different lens.

If you’re thinking, “I’ve never had a mentor,” you’re probably mistaken.

Who was your favorite youth sports coach? Did you have a teacher in high school, or college, who both pushed and supported your growth as a student? What about your parents or a neighbor growing up? Might even be that favorite Aunt or Uncle…

Being coachable is simply opening yourself up to others while admitting that you don’t know everything or everyone. And that’s OK.

Remember, the best SALES reps are the ones that use all of their resources around them and don’t place extra pressure on themselves to have all of the answers, themselves.

Character.

Your true character is who you are around those you trust the most.

No one wants to work with someone who’s fake. This type of ‘character’ we’re talking about is not meant to be that of an actor or actress! This isn’t a Netflix special.

In business, especially in today’s environments, genuine character traits are what separate you from the next guy/gal. And when you understand that your unique differences are actually differentiators? Look out!

Caring.

Remember, actions can speak louder than words.

We’ve all worked with that overly talkative, almost brag-intensive coworker who goes on and on about their successes. Blah Blah Blah!

But do they care about more than just themselves?

Much like when you’re dating, when you manage others, you develop a set of standards that you’re not willing to give on when sourcing new team members.

• How do they treat the server when you take them out for lunch during the interview process?

• Listen to how they speak about their friends and family. Are they a lone wolf, or do they have a larger “why” to their life?

• What sort of manners do they display, or how polite are they?

• Ask them in the interview process to tell you about a time when they had to go out of their way to help someone on their team…

Caring for others, for a team, for a business or organization can be a little bit cliche nowadays. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t source people that have care for their friends, family, self-interests, their health, and more.

Culture can be built up or ripped down in an instant if your team members don’t have elements of care and compassion in their DNA.

The moral of the story? There are a lot of ways to build and scale a team. Most times, the most important factors have nothing to do with an applicant’s background or recent job history.

It has everything to do with the individual character types of that person. How do they communicate? Do they care for others … and their job? Will they take your coaching and bring their own energy to the team?

Find the employees that stand out with unique and highlightable C’s and you’ll build a winner.

Sales Tweets of The Week!

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